Button



April 14, 1931. F, R. WHlTE 1,800,765

BUTTON Filed March 29, 1930 Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF WATERB'URY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTI- GUT BUTTON Application filed March 29, 1930. Serial No. 440,026.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in buttons, and has for an object to provide a button that will be extremely strong in service and, at the same time, relatively cheap to manufacture.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce a one-piece button that may preferably be made out of hard metal, such as stainless steel but, on the other hand, may

19 be made of softer metals, such as aluminum,

if so desired.

Still another objectof the invention is to produce a one-piece button wherein the hub and head, or face, may be made from bar stock or from stampings, there being a cham ber formed in the hub to Vreceive a tack or preferably a staple, and the hub being also so formed or arranged that a cross bar is formed across the chamber, so that the prongs 29 of the staple may be forced around this cross bar or evenV a tack fastener might berutilized instead of a staple. r

Still another object of the invention is to r form a one-piece button, the walls of the hub 2*), then,beingforcedvinwardly to thereby cause the metal to extend from opposite points of the hub toward each other and thus substan tially form a cross bar about which the prongs or fasteners may be deformed when the button is attached. l v A Still anotherobject of the invention is to provide a button formed from barstock orstampings having ahead in .which there is formed an integral hub, the side walls ofthe Vhub being operate'don by'adjacent dies to thereby form integral 'fastening portions across the hub about whichthe prong or prongs of the fastener may be attached.

With these and other objects'in View, thel invention consists in certain newA and novel- Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. l showing the shape of the hub after the dies have forced the hub to its final shape;

Fig. 2a is a sectional view thereof;

Fig. 2b is a sectional View taken at right angles to Fig. 2a;

Fig. 3 is a plan view from the under surface of the button of a slightly modified form;

Fig. 3a is a sectional view of the button shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is a plan view from the under surface of the button of a slightly modified form, a part of the hub being shown in section;

Fig. la is a sectional view of the button shown in Fig. fl;

Fig. All is an edge View taken at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 4a; and

Fig. 5 shows how a cap may be attached to the head of the button, if so desired, and the shape the staple will take when the button is fastened to the garment.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and Figs. 1 to 2b specifically, there is shown my improved button, comprising the head 1, the integral hub 2, and the cham ber 3 within the hub.

If the button is to be made of soft metal, such as aluminum, it may be made from bar stock or wire, which is fed into an automatic heading machine (not shown) cut to length and then moved into the path of cutting Vdies and swedged, and then subjected to a second set of dies (not shown), to provide the chamber 3 similar, as far as the specification has proceeded, to the button shown in the patent to Forrest Gr. Purinton, No.

1,496,017, granted June 3, 19:24.

Should the button be made of harder metal, such as steel, it may be formed from stampings or possibly a number of actions of headfing dies to preliminarily form the button, as

shownin Figs. 1 and la.

After this blank 'is so formed, the same is then subjected to side pressure operation (the dies not being shown) to elongate or iiatten the sides of the hub, as at 4, and slightly flare the same, as seen in Fig. 2b. At the same time, the metal is driven inwardlyto form the little inwardly projecting teats and' which are spaced a slight distance from the outer edge of the hub. These little teats, as may be seen'in Fig. 2a, by Vmeeting at their. point substantially formY a cross bar in the hub.

Asmay be seen in Fig. 5, all that isneeessary," therefore, to do to attach this button is to drive a staple 7 down into the chamber orthe hub of the button, and the prongs impingingagainst-the bottom wall 8 will direct. theprongs upwardly-to thus grip about the cross bar formed by the inwardly projecting oppositely disposed teats, to thereby tightlyVV fasten the button to the garment 9,

It will be understood that these buttons are attached in a button attaching machine of thewell-known type, wherein the heads are fed from one hopperandr the staples from the `opposite.hopper, andthe staple then driven up through the garment: and intothe hub or fastening receiving member of the button.

f Referring-now 4to thexslightly modified forni, as shown in Figs; 3 andrfthere is v shown the button comprising a similar. head 110: withthe integral. hub llfand this pre- Y liininarily formed button is -thensubjected to ingthe staplethrough the garmentjwillfbef In other words, the final shape ofthe hub in this modified form isfvery'similar tothearrangement shownl in the preferred form, but:

the manner of formingthe teatsl that result substantiallyinthe cross bar Yis, done Aby av header operation 1 rather than by plungersy beingdriven into the sides of the hub; It will Vbe noticed thatthese teats l2 extend, or areV positioned, slightly nea-,rer thelupper edge of the hub than'they'are in the preferred;

form, where the teats are formedtoolsv operated at thefepposite sides.

' Of course, the huhwill-havethe chamber,v

lfformed therein, and the mannerofv drivshown` in Figs. 4, 4% and A?, the Vbutton'head 14 .is verysimilar tothe button headV shown in the preferred a'ndinodifiedform just re-v ferred'to, one'dfference inthis in's'tance'being thatthe hubl remains circular in cross sec!k tion with vthe exception, however,at the place ywhere the'two teats 1 6'arestruclnV "In other y words, instead ofattening out the sidewalls 'of'thefhub, theyl arefleft cireular-insoutline,

soV that 'the only metal displaced isthe metal tliatforms the oppositely; extendingV teats.

Another difference from the vpreferred fornuis 'that the two-teats- 16`are rectangular 'in cross."sectionv rather'thanl circular-.eL In.y

other word's, 'the tive-toolsA (not shown) *that scope ofthe invention.

v Y Patent is-:' Referring for' the moment to the formits sides flattenedrather-than circular, as just described or, on the other hand, the button shown in thepreferred form might have Vthe teats rather than the twoinwardly projecting vcross bar formed of therectan gularly:shaped conical teats. f

` It might be here mentioned that all of the views I show the buttons greatly exaggerated in size, but simply'for, vtheV sake of illustration.

In Fig. 5, a cap, 17; is shown oveithegbkltton head and this cap. maybe of' an ornamental nature and haveany desired;insigniathereon.

From the foregoing, itWil-Lbe.seenthatfl- Ahave formed arbut'ton or-btflttonheadgout of one piece of metal which:V may either be formed-of bar stock or stamping,a1idhaving a Afastener receiving chamber formed fin the integral hub ofthe button. rIn,this;chamber there is formed a cross bar about which; the prongs of the staple will 'besecured: Fur- .thermorefthis forniingfofl thel .cross bar is either accomplished by striking metal inwardlyv from the, sides ofthefhub or bysubjecting-the hubto a header operatiento thus forces'ome of theanetalinwardlytogfermthe cross-bar, the results-beingpractically the .saine in both instances.

I am aware that itis loldf t0 make buttons of vsomewhat similar types4 of several pieces, wherein a separate cross .f bar is putin, for wherein a crossbar is cutfromstampedlmetal, but Ijain not awareof abutton Yl ie a d -fo1ined of 'but' one piece and certainportions of the metal of thefliub forced inwardlyiofthehub to thereby'provide a cross bal iLlOOlltfwfhich the fastener may besecured..

lvanyV slight changes mightbelmadewvithout in any way departing from thespi-rit and Having thus .describedinyinvention,- what I claim as new anddesire-to secure by Letters 1. A? closed top metal buttonhaving an. integralY hub, a :portion of the meta-l of :thehub being struck Y inwarcillyl\ froni the; opposite sides of the hub toftherebysubstantiallyform an integral crosslbar.- Y rv i 'f 2. A closed tep: button having anfinteglfal metal hub, ajport'ion of the'fmetal of; the;side walls being struck: 4inwardly towards i each gral'Y cross bar." i .Y

3. Aisolid head button,having anv integral hollow metal fhube. inwardly p'ro jeeting vzindentations formed;r in-y the hub, and thei'said other tok thereby substantiallyfornaninteindentations` being directly oppositel- .each

gral cross bar in the hub.

other to'therebv substantially arrinte-V 4f. A solid button having an integral hollow metal hub, oppositely located indentations formed on the side walls of the hub and spaced slightly from the solid head, and 5 the metal from the indentations forming a substantially integral cross bar in the hub, and the side walls of the hub at the places of indentations being slightly iattened.

5. A solid head button comprising an inw tegra-l hollow hub and a head, a part of the metal of the opposite side walls being forced inwardly to substantially form a cross bar, and the inwardly forced metal being rectangular in cross section and the bottom wall of the hub acting as an anvil and adapted to turn the prong of a fastener about said bar.

6. A solid head button having an integral hollow hub formed of metal, oppositely located indentations formed in the hub, and the resultant displaced metal forming lateral projections in the hub, the lateral projections substantially forming a cross bar in the hub and adapted to cooperate with a fastener member, the bottom wall of the hub adapted to act as a deflecting wall for a fastener member.

7. A button having an integral hollow hub formed of metal, oppositely located indentations formedin the hub, the hub being slightly flattened at the places of indentations and slightly {iared at the resultant opposite ends, the said indentations forming lateral projections that substantially meet in the hub to thus substantially form a cross bar in the hub and the bottom wall of the hub adapted to act as a defiecting means for the prongs of a fastener.

8. A one-piece button comprising a head and an integral hollow hub, opposite portions of the side walls of the hub being struck inwardly, and the displaced metal forming laterally projecting teats to thus substantially form a cross bar within the hub and about which may be secured a fastening member and the inner dome of the hub adapted to act as a defiecting wall for a fastener member.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature. FRANKLIN R. WHITE. 

